Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

(4.5 stars) I love finding new books with tournaments or arenas done right! The martial arts and one-on-one fights in Breath of the Dragon were STELLAR (which isn’t shocking, when I realized that Bobby Lee’s daughter co-wrote the story!).

The authors just did everything so well in this YA fantasy novel, from the world-building to the magic system to my personal favorite - the character growth. Jun’s self-discovery and growth was so palpable. I loved that he acted like a true teenager at the beginning, making naive, reckless decisions. This in turn made his realizations and epiphanies later in the story so satisfying. I can’t wait for the next book in the series and I highly recommend this to the fantasy audience out there!

I enjoyed the heck out of Breath of the Dragon. It had some Karate Kid vibes, I loved the political intrigue and Jun was such a complex character. His character journey from an angry and somewhat selfish boy to a warrior who fights for what’s right and good was so incredibly well done. I really loved his interactions with Sifu Chang, Ren and Yin. I’m so looking forward to seeing more of that in the next book. Also, I thought it was really interesting seeing Jun realize the stories of history he had been told were told differently in other parts of the land. I think that’s going to be such a cool plot point to dive into in book two. The fighting scenes were so exciting and very easy to follow along. It was just a great time reading this book and I can’t wait to read the next book!
CW: violence, death, injury

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to St. Martins Press for the ARC!

This book was great, though there were areas I didn't care for. I'll start with the positive:

I loved the diverse cast of characters, the exploration of the magic system, the set up of the politics of the world, the importance of brotherhood and male relationships, and the honesty of the feelings of jealousy, grief, and longing. The first chapter started strong, and at no point did I grow bored and stop wanting to pay attention. The main character is lovable and the plot believable.

What I didn't like:
The general (aka main villain) is pretty lack luster BUT it is only book 1, so perhaps his story becomes more flushed out. Regardless, this feels nitpicky on my part so I only took of .25 stars for it.

Overall, this book is an enjoyable fantasy with the vibes of a Korean drama and the atmosphere of a early 2000 YA fantasy. As someone who loves both, I really enjoyed the combination and can't wait for book 2!

A FULL FIVE STARS

Breath of the Dragon is a masterfully written martial arts fantasy. Bruce Lee’s philosophy and teaching being the base of this book makes this is a beautiful tribute to a great man and martial artist. With a tournament that is different than what you will see in novels today, this book brings in the nostalgia of a classic martial arts film blended perfectly with a fresh perspective of modern literature. Mixed in with a hint of romance and political intrigue, this book has it all. It will keep you hooked from the first page.

This is already feeling like one of my top reads of the year and we are still in January.

I was fully invested in this violent young adult martial arts fantasy. My biggest complaint is that it’s the first in a duology, and now I must wait for the second installment. The abrupt ending left me desperate to know what happens next! This book blends the feeling of a timeless folk tale with the sweeping scope of an epic fantasy. While some plot points were predictable, there are enough shocking twists to keep you on your toes. I gasped aloud more than once. Just when you think you’ve settled into the pace, a shift keeps it fresh and engaging. Jun, the main character, is headstrong and likable. He avoids being overly single-minded or irritating. His growth feels natural, and I loved learning alongside him. The story felt original, not like a direct commentary on current political events, which was refreshing. The fight scenes were so vivid and well-detailed that I was wincing and clutching parts of my body, fully in the tension. My heart raced with each battle. This book is suitable for younger audiences with its lack of spice but is rich and layered enough for older readers to enjoy as well, I certainly did. Pick this one up!

Wow, the best fantasy teen novel I've read in ages!

After being separated from his family for practicing martial arts, sixteen year old Jun sets off on an adventure to prove his fighting skills and win the elite Guardian Tournament. This book is so filled with fantastic training montages, tournament style fighting scenes, and with a hint of political intrigue on the side. Its been so long since a new fantasy series has caught my interest. Excited for the next in series!

Fonda Lee has been on my list of authors to read for years. When the publisher offered me the NetGalley widget for the first book in a new series, I immediately downloaded it.

In this world breathmarked people are born with a patch of dragon scales and possess various special abilities. At a young age, those who are blessed with a breathmark are sent away for special training. Jun's twin is one of the gifted, but when Jun reveals that their father also trained him in martial arts, he and his father are banished from their homeland while his brother and mother are taken to court. Years later, Jun has made it his life's purpose to become the next Guardian and prove himself. Seeing a reverse chosen one trope is a refreshing change. Jun has no special abilities, and it's an angle I really enjoyed.

Deadly competitions are always a draw for me, so I was excited to get to the Guardian's Tournament. Action fans will delight in the intricately choreographed martial arts scenes. I gasped more than once over unexpected outcomes. Before long Jun learns there's more to the tournament than he could ever have imagined and winning isn't all that's at stake.

The found family trope gets me every time, and it's a big part of this story. Not being a big romance fan, I appreciated that it's a very small part of the plot - and really only the potential of one. Jun's character arc is extremely well done and seeing him grow and learn is one of my favorite things about the novel.

I'll definitely be continuing with this series, and I'm anxious to see where the next book goes. Recommended for fans of strong character arcs, a main character who's not the chosen one, and novels with crossover appeal.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

In a world where honor, strength and integrity are prized above all, contestants will battle using skilled martial arts to win the honor of protecting their home and community. A clear plot line in this first book of a planned duology introduces us to twin brothers who must find their individual ways to the truth and find the way to each other to win this battle.

I loved this! The story was beautiful and I'm so excited to read the sequel - I have a feeling it's going to be emotional.

Happy release week to Breath of Dragon by @shannonlee & @fondalee!

Breath of the Dragon is the first installment in a YA duology. It's a fast-packed and action-packed release. This was a highly anticipated release for me I ate it up in a little over a day. Especially once I really got into it - I did not rest until I was finished.

This story is a love letter to the martial art philosophy and prowess of Bruce Lee in a fantastical world filled with political schemes. The main character Jun goes through it from the first page, and I would like to stay. I'm formally submitting a request to adopt him - no more suffering for my sweet summer child, please!

Jun chooses to compete in this diabolical fighting tournament in order to become the Guardian of the West and restore his honor. The action choreography during the tournament is so beautifully written and feels like you're seeing it play out in your mind (from someone who actually struggles a lot to picture things). Each scene was so exciting, and I was holding my breath everytime things got rough. And it did get rough and bloody!

The last 5 chapters have me already excited for the characters and all the different relationships I would like to see expanded on. I'm respectfully demanding the second book now, please! 🤲🏾

Thank you to @wednesdaybooks for a digital ARC!

I liked this book but didn't love it, but I don't think I'm really the target audience for books like this. I think people who love martial arts in general, and Bruce Lee in particular, will love reading a story about an underdog martial artist trying to save his people from a tyrant. It sounds like it could be a plot line from one of Bruce Lee's movies!

So, I think fans of action-oriented, martial arts stories & Bruce Lee will probably love this story, but it just wasn't for me.

Such a fun read! I used to love watch Bruce Lee movies, so this action and fight scenes filled book was a treat. Ambitious character, with a very much YA attitude - I'll do whatever I want, no matter the consequences. The growth of him, and finally understanding that there's more than himself in this world. And of course a friendship that keeps growing. I loved that the villain in this case wasn't the main character in the story, and it is more of a happy ending type of book. I feel like in the second book everything will be resolved, and it gives me hope.

There was once scene in the end that I thought was just overdone and too extended. I just wanted it all to wrap up faster, and be done. But it took such a long time, that if I would have skipped like 40 pages, I would still have understood what have happened.

Otherwise, the fighting scenes were fun. The fact that it wasn't focused on a romance, or a girl interest brought a different angle to a fantasy tale - sometimes things happen for one's own ambitions, and not for the love interest.

Excited to see what happens in the second book.

This was a really nice read! I found it very well-written, and it kept my attention throughout the story.
However I would say that this would be best suited for maybe a teenaged boy. I typically still really love YA, but being in my 20’s now, I sometimes struggle to connect with the characters as I once did - and with Jun being a younger teenaged boy, it was a little hard to connect at times.
I found the world, history, and location very interesting to read about though!

Fonda Lee is a literary icon, and this book is an incredible mash-up that only she could write. Must read for fans of hers and fans of good books!

Breath of the Dragon is book one in the Breathmarked series by Fonda Lee; Shannon Lee.
Was so captivating. The character development was so well written. The character growth was amazing.
This was action packed and the writing was so well done.
Very descriptive and detailed.
A fast-paced and extremely exciting fantasy novel.

Thank You NetGalley and Wednesday Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

The Guardian’s Tournament is held every six years to entrust the magical Scroll of Heaven to a new protector. Jun is sixteen and eager to prove that he's a warrior. A mistake had banished them from his home, mother, and twin brother. But Jun isn't breathmarked, born with a patch of dragon scales and blessed with special abilities like his twin, so his father forbids him from trying. He goes anyway, and soon realizes he may be fighting for the fate of the country and the very survival of everyone he cares about.

Shannon Lee is Bruce Lee's daughter, and Fonda Lee is known for her breathtakingly detailed and riveting novels. Those who are Breathmarked in this world have the blood of the dragon, which manifests as scales. Jun and Sai were twins, but only Sai was breathmarked. Martial arts were banned as a means of violence, though Jun was skilled in it and thought displaying his talent would lead him to be taken away for training along with his brother. Instead, he and his father were exiled rather than his father sent to a work camp for teaching Jun. Following the five years of exile, his father played villains and choreographed fights for the opera and Jun was an usher and security guard. His father wanted him to study to become a civil servant, but Jun would rather fight. It doesn't help that tensions between East and West Longhan had worsened, with no other way to see Sai again without that Guardian's Tournament.

The world-building for Longhan is subtle and gradually introduced. Jun isn't the type to pay attention, but his friend Ren is, and she instructs him. His various teachers approach his ability in different ways, setting up the varying styles of martial arts and views on its utility and purpose. Even the contest rules themselves have changed, turning lethal. The tournament isn't just about who is the best fighter to protect the nation. It becomes propaganda and a means to push for war between nations, setting up future novels. Jun progresses from trying to prove himself to his father and twin, to fighting for the purest expression of the art and his ability. He learns that rivalry and envy are a source of torment, keeping him from being his best self. It was great to see Jun grow, moving past tragedy, and know that he has the potential to be truly great.

Thank you to NetGalley, Fonda Lee, Shannon Lee, and St. Martin's Press for my advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Are you kidding me that I have to wait for another installment?! This was fantastic and I could not put it down-- imagine a politically charged, fantasy, Karate Kid. Fonda's fight sequences continue to blow me away, and her love of martial arts clearly shows through her writing. I know this book is tagged as a YA novel, but please don't let that stop you from picking it up. Breath of the Dragon does a fantastic of crossing boundaries between the young adult realm and the adult world with mature writing and themes. If you are a fan of Asian-inspired fantasies and martial arts, this is a must-read. I was captivated throughout and cannot wait for the announcement of book two!

I’ve only read one other Fonda Lee book, Untethered Sky. I loved it. When I love the first book I’ve read of a certain author, that book becomes the gateway book for the author’s backlist and anything the author touches, especially if the second book I’ve read from the author also proves awesome. Breath of the Dragon, with one exception, exceeded my expectations. Let us also not forget the co-author, Shannon Lee. I grew up on martial arts movies with fighting contests and high stakes, and oh, man, this book was nostalgia between two covers.

Jun, our MC, who is a young man—quite the anomaly, as so many YA fantasy main characters nowadays seem to be young women—and mostly predisposed toward vengeance or some other self-serving activity. Even better, Jun’s story starts out in the best way for a story like this. Jun’s father and grandfather have an incredible legacy of teaching martial arts, which the kingdom in which they reside forbids. The family is torn apart, and Jun and his father are exiled to another kingdom.

Of course, as all these stories go, the one banished for learning to fight becomes the ultimate fighter, and joins a contest to fight for a great reward or position of authority that allows him to to rectify the wrong of his youth. Take back the kingdom. Fight for the downtrodden. Sounds cliche, but the story isn’t old in the telling. All classic tales of heroes fighting empires and reuniting with their lost loved ones offer an appealing story that never gets old no matter the way they’re told.

Lee and Lee write fantastic characters, complicated relationships, gut-wrenching reunions (more authors for the list of those who won’t leave my darlings in peace), and awesome action. I’m surprised, yet again, that this book did not get picked up by a box or a bookstore for a special edition.

With one exception for way too much adult language in a YA book, I give this book high marks. I can’t recommend it for its marketed audience, because of content, but an adult who doesn’t mind language and likes similar books in this genre will love this one.

My thanks to NetGalley, and Wednesday Books for the eARC, for which I willingly give my own, honest opinion.

3.75 stars

I enjoyed this book and thought that the plot flowed smoothly. We start out the book with the main character as a kid and then explore the rest of the story when he is a teenager taking part in a tournament. The tournament’s purpose is to become the Guardian who helps protect the Scroll of Earth and this is a very sought after job.

The book was very combat heavy so if you like fight sequences, you will love this book and if you don’t, this might not be the book for you. The combat style was martial arts with many different styles you encounter during the tournament that the main character was a part of.

Some people have abilities (this is called breathmarked) that they use during the tournament which brought a lot of excitement to the fight sequences because you never knew what kind of fight it would be. The main character was a twin and his twin had an ability but he did not so it made it exciting to see how he would go through these fights because he had a clear disadvantage.

There was a small cast of side characters and I wish there was more time spent building them up because I would have liked to know more about them. They were important to the story and I just wanted to have that explored a bit more.

The main character seemed a little flawed at times and I felt like they could have used some development but then he was also a 16 year old so it was realistic with some of the decisions he made.

Overall, it was a fun read and I look forward to finding out what happens in the next book in this duology.

A fun action packed read that I wished I could have consumed as a movie.

I wish there was more I could say about the book but it was pretty standard. Some political intrigue, an interesting world setup, and plenty of action. The characters were fine but I never really got attached to them to care what happened to them. But I didn't mind following Jun and company around on their journey and discoveries.

I started this book when I initially had access to the book months ago but I did put it down in wanting to read other things. But when I came back to it I found that I still remembered what I had read despite so much time passing between reads. The book is sort of heavy on the action/martial arts descriptions and if you're not into that sort of thing then the story may feel a little boring and repetitive. Overall, it was a decent coming-of-age story.